Opening Night will feature the world premiere of The Death and Life of Otto Bloom (Australia), the MIFF Premiere Fund-supported feature debut from Melbourne director Cris Jones. The film tells a story of a boy who experiencing his life in reverse, passing through time backwards while remembering the future.
To mark the halfway point of the festival, MIFF has announced Abe Forsythe’s Down Under (Australia) as this year’s red carpet Centerpiece Gala. A black comedy set during the aftermath of the Cronulla Riots, Down Under is the story of two carloads of hotheads from both sides of the fight destined to collide.
Local films are in focus with the world premiere of the MIFF Premiere Fund-supported titles, including Ella, the heartwarming portrait of Ella Havelka, who made history in 2013 by becoming the first indigenous dancer at the Australia Ballet; The Family, an investigation into one of Australia’s most notorious cults, Monsieur Mayonnaise, a true tale of Melbourne’s Mora family, Emo (The Musical) , a satirical story of tolerance, individuality and harmonising, and Bad Girl, starring Samara Weaving and Sara West, a psychological thriller offering a dramatic twist on the femme fatale.
Headliners will celebrate the consummate cinema experiences by presenting a selection of works from gifted filmmakers with star studded casts. This will feature Ben Wheatley’s High-Rise (UK), Kelly Reichardt’s Certain Women (USA), Mia Hansen- Love’s Things to Come (France/Germany), Terence Davies’s Sunset Song (UK), and Werner Herzog’s Lo and Behold: Reveries of the Connected World (USA).
Films blurring the line between documentary and fiction includes the winner of the Special Jury Award and this year’s Sundance Film Festival, Robert Greene’s Kate Plays Christine (USA) and winner of the Sundance Grand Prize and Audience Award Sonita (Germany/Switzerland/Iran).
Continuing to focus on the prominent issues of refugees and asylum seekers, Spotlight will feature Gianfranco Rosi’s Fire At Sea (Italy/France) and Frederick Wiseman’s In Jackson Heights (USA). Book-to-film adaptations will this year include James Schamus’ Indignation (USA), and Andrzej Zulawski’s Cosmos (Portugal/ France).
Films combining fantasy, imagination and artistry will include Bi Gan’s Kali Blues (China), Rosemary Myer’s Girl Asleep (Australia) and Roger Ross William’s Life, Animated (USA). The heartfelt gems about love and loss include Laurie Anderson’s Heart of a Dog (USA), No Home Movie (Belgium/France), Chantal Akerman’s Happy Hour (Japan), Madly (USA/Argentina/Australia/UK/India/Japan) and six short films from six filmmaking talents including Sebastian Silva and Mia Wasikowska.
As always, MIFF’s Short Program will deliver a mix of genre’s, both international and local. These will include Danny DeVito’s Curmudgeons (USA) and Belladonna (Croatia). Other film highlights will include Anthina Rachel Tsangari’s Chevalier (Greece), Louis Theroux’s Louis Theroux: My Scientology Movie (UK/USA), Tobias Lindholm’s A War, Andres Thomas Jensen’s Men & Chicken (Denmark), David Farrier’s Tickled (New Zealand), Alex Gibney’s Zero Days (USA).
The full program of over 300 titles will be announced in the coming weeks.
